MERCEDES BENZ - "IN THE LONG RUN"

Short List
TitleMERCEDES BENZ - "IN THE LONG RUN"
BrandMERCEDES BENZ
Product/ServiceMERCEDES BENZ GLE
Category A05. Cinematography
Entrant ICONOCLAST Berlin, GERMANY
Idea Creation ANTONI Berlin, GERMANY
Production ICONOCLAST Berlin, GERMANY
Credits
Name Company Position
Niclas Larsson Iconoclast Germany Director
Linus Sandgren Iconoclast Germany Director Of Photography
Jan Dressler Iconoclast Germany Executive Producer
Björn Krüger Iconoclast Germany Producer
Nils Schwemer Iconoclast Germany Managing Director
Nicolas Lhermitte Iconoclast Germany Managing Director
André Kemper antoni_garage Chief Creative Officer
Matthias Schmidt antoni_garage Managing Director
Veit Moeller antoni_garage Executive Creative Director
Christian Kies antoni_garage Creative Director
Christopher Hoene antoni_garage Creative Director
Patrick Klebba antoni_garage Creative Director

Write a short summary of what happens in the film

The story is about a young woman and mother that pursues a lifelong dream despite physical limitations: participating in a triathlon. With the support of her family she not only overcomes physical but also emotional boundaries and masters the competition. But no matter how successful she is – an event from the past accompanies her in all the time: through a climbing accident with her daughter she has to wear a prosthetic leg.

Cultural / Context information for the jury

On the official day for people with disabilities, we launched a nearly five-minute long movie that touched the world: "In The Long Run." The story was captured by up-and-coming young director Niclas Larsson and Oscar winner Linus Sandgren ("La La Land") as cameraman. The film was produced as a long format and unfolds its greatest power as an unconventional content-piece online: 4:47 minutes which give viewers in depth insight to the complex characters and their stories. For Mercedes-Benz, "In The Long Run" is the start of a new SUV communication strategy which runs under the umbrella idea "All Kinds of Strength". Great human stories are linked with model-specific positionings.

Tell the jury anything relevant about the cinematography.

For our DoP the biggest challenge was to stage drama authentically and genuinely, but still cinematically. This was especially true for the use of the lead actress: her leg prosthesis is visible only in the last scene - in many intense scenes before it was not allowed to be seen. In coordination with the director, the DoP has therefore come up with a leitmotif that hides her leg in the scenery in ever different ways. The transitions and camera movements were chosen so fluidly that they look natural to the viewer and are not questioned. To create a warm and organic look the film was shot on 35mm. Light, framing, camera movements, but also set-up and acting - everything was prepared so that every take was as economical as possible. The end result: An aesthetics that is graphic but not artificial, credibly staging the story of "In The Long Run".